A healthy dose of insanity
by AceArctic
Summary: With the sage of six path's deeds the world was reborn into one overflowing with chakra. A normal human here could walk on water and warp time and space. Ari? Why she's just a normal itty bitty kitty. Erm kind of...but in a world where the average joe can breath fire, the word 'normal' takes on a different meaning.
1. Smash your head through glass

The cover is not mine, it's from a free wallpapers site. I just edited it a bit.

 **Disclaimer** : I own nothing but Ari. Naruto the anime and manga are Masashi Kishimoto's toys, I'm just harassing them and making a weird story biased around it because I'm a creepy fangirl.

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Drip

Drip

Drip

Drip

Dr-"WOOF"

A agile slender body darted around the corner, a tiny piece of soggy chicken clutched in the creature's jaws. Messy dark fur allowing the tiny thief to blend in with the stained concrete floor as they bolted past countless chambers and cages.

The rhythmic pitter patter of nimble paws was followed by a destructive, raging bellow. Yelling could be heard in the distance. A silver plate flashed in the shadowy hallways and splattered against the edge of the corridor; Where the creature was a moment ago.

The chaos of the chase made withered down prisoners cower in fear as a large bulky shadow steeped past their rusty cages.

"AHhhhggh" The bulky shadow raged, shaking the thin walls of the hideout and making the sole light source of the hallway sway with the momentum of the shaking. The almost human creature stumbled onwards around the corner with a heavy axe in it's hands. Glazed green eyes darted around for a certain dark furred feline—before continuing onwards after the mutated human guard sensed nothing around them.

The tension in the atmosphere wavered as the guard scurried past a pair of golden eyes. On the hunt for vengeance against the small but intelligent creature. At least more intelligent than the mutated excuse for a guard. The feline dropped from it's hiding place as the almost human creature disappeared from sight, much further down the hallway.

Her molten gold eyes picked up every small detail of the cell she had hid in. Tiny, ancient and reeks of a strange metallic sent. Ignoring all the new information attacking her senses, she swallowed the tiny bit of chicken she worked so hard to keep. Savouring the taste of cooked meat. Who knows when her next meal would be?

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 **[~{Ari's pov}~]**

"Damn! That thing is getting faster at catching me! I should probably work out more...nah who am I kidding? I'm a cat. We're lazy by nature! As long as I outsmart them I'll be fine." I gave a huff in the form of a kitty sigh.

Slipping into a steady trot out of the cell and down the corridor I let my instincts lead me forwards to where I want to go. Picking up random disturbing scents along the way. The semi-underground hideout becomes increasingly smaller the more your explore, the more you discover. As a naturally curious creature I've already mapped out the entire place in my mind over the corse of three years.

Keeping my ears pricked and alert to pick up even the slightest sound of movement, I rehearsed the plan in my head. As only the "subjects' know of today's event. It is a very very special day for everything in this hell hole. The other inmates has been planning this for months on end, the secret language all prisoners know communicated through meaningful glances and calculated words has told us so.

Today marks the third day Orochimaru has left this hideout, today is the day we try to break out.

How would a simple little kitty cat know this? Well it sure pays to be a "dumb animal" in these situations, no one bats an eye if a cute fuzzy creature decides to curl up in someone's lap. No one minds a simple little cat.

"Heh" I scoffed in amusement at the thought, nearing the main hallway. No one ever suspects me which is why I love being a cat.

With a skip to my step I happily waltzed past the main chambers that held the strongest "subjects." Turing left and right I weaved through the confusing maze like structure until I got to my final destination. The Snake-pedo's personal golden potty.

Now don't get me wrong, the creepy snake is smart with his hideouts. Designing each and every one to be escape proof, tailoring everything from the height of the roof to the sharpness of every corner to perfectly contain and trap his victims. But no matter how smart you are, no one wants to suffer the torturous and over bearing smell that is human waste. Or any sort of waste. Which is why this is one of the few rooms that has a window. And all I had to do now was wait near by.

As the plan goes the strongest creatures will keep the guards at bay while they're doing their usual rounds, every other subject will try to break the seals Orochimaru placed around the hideout. A seal that allows things to enter but never exit without his permission. He's placed quite a few around the place. As soon as one is broken, another will replace it shortly after. But between every new seal we have a few sweet seconds to escape.

If you asked me I don't think this is the smartest plan, nor the most efficient. Only a few of us can escape. But this is a extremely rare opportunity.

When Orochimaru left he took all of his strongest guards with him to do whatever. We could not care less but one fact remained constant. The hideout's security is incredibly weaker than it once was, like a open wound. And like any other desperate mutated creature does with a open wound, we'll claw at it until it we reach bone. The bone of couse, referring to the outside.

That is, we will make up a stupid little plan and hope for the best as it really is our last ray of hope. The lucky few that does manage to escape will hopefully have a tiny shred of decency and get help from outside sources. Well as much help as a creepy mutated humanoid could get frankly.

Everyone is sick of this place, we wants out!

With a last breath of the stale tangy air around me, all relaxation snapped out of me as a ear wrenching scream tore through the hideout, ringing as it echoed through the half submerged base.

It has begun.

The hideout exploded.

No it really did.

In a flash of wonderfully blinding colors as if the guards decided to throw a freak disco party, the whole entire places erupted in flames as every subject started throwing random justus around. Trying in vain to break out. I of course being the brave smart cat that I am...

Ran for dear life as I got chased down by an angry horde of guards.

What? Don't look at me like that. I'm a sock eating creature that's hardly one quarter of a human child. Of course I ran as soon as I saw guards try to swat me with axes and swords. Now I'm no expert but I don't think a cat would be the first thing you blame when the hideout catches on fire. But hey who am I to judge, I'm not that bright either.

My lazy muscles screamed in protest as I bolted down the long filthy hallways that was engulfed in smoke. I was lucky to be small and since smoke rises, I was safe of smoke inhalation. The guards...not so much. You know what they say, where there is fire, there is smoke!

Well, at least I think people say that; I haven't talked to people in forever! I haven't seen the sun in ages and hell I knew I would never get another chance like this again. To escape that is!

Frantically I swept my eyes around wildly in search of a hiding place to get away from the creeps behind me. My vision was shaky and blurred from all the frantic sprinting; but even so I could spot a cell with big enough spaces between each bar, big enough for me to jump into.

Without a second thought I nearly flipped on my heels as I scrambled into the cell. Almost missing as the hideout shook and thrashed from the breaking of the first seal. The angry hoard of guards dashing past me the second I was in, whiskers flayed around in the wind they created as they collectively stormed away.

That was when I realised they weren't chasing me, but rather just doing their jobs and trying to contain the other prisoners.

'Oh' I thought as I felt embarrassment prick at my skin. Good thing no one was around to notice my derp moment. (Cough cough readers cough cough)

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts; I trotted back the way I came from, 'onwards to Pedo-snake's bathroom!' I cheered inside my head. Now that the chase was over and the adrenaline slowly seeping away from my body, I could faintly feel the soreness of my paws and the freezing concrete floors. My ears perked, alert and carefully listening out for any oncoming dangers, thankfully I sensed none as I padded around the corner.

Relief flooded my veins as the bathroom'a door came into view at the end of the hallway, still closed and untouched by any other creature. Now how was I going to get in you ask? Sneak though a tiny convenient hole in the door of course!

This hideout is incredibly old after all, it was owned by this other creepo before the Snake-pedo killed them and claimed this base as his own. Of course this place is small and freezing cold as it was half submerged underground, so he doesn't not visit very often. Too occupied with maiming and "experimenting" on unstable shinobis for his own sadistic pleasure to really care. Replacing a door with a tiny hole is probably the least of his worries.

Muahahaha that's where I came in. (Ba dum tisss) I crawled inside the 'cleaner than the rest but still dirty' bathroom with one beautiful view through the tiny window. Ah, dirt and leaves. 'How beautiful! ' I purred to myself as I edged closer to the window. It may not be that great of a sight but I haven't seen a leaf in three years. Or the sun as a matter of fact.

Wow I'm a literal hermit.

Leaping up onto the dusty (eww) window sill, I peeked outside in wonder as I awaited for another seal to be broken.

Waiting

Waiting...

More waiting...

I'm a patient cat I swear!

Hey guess what?

More waiting.

A sudden snap followed by a ear shattering boom rocked the hideout as a particularly strong seal exploded from the prisoner's jutsu puking. I could sense the chakra surrounding the entire base fall as everything beyond the base became vividly clear to my sensitive senses. I didn't notice the dizziness as adrenaline chorused through me once again, only this time I wasn't being chased by an angry mob.

My gleaming eyes brightened as a shiver ran up my spine in excitement. I saw my chance of escape right in front of me, right within reach. With a elegant sway of my tail as I sucked in a deep breath of stale bathroom air. (And immediately regretted it) I did what any sane cat would do in this situation.

And bashed my head through the window, effectively shattering the glass and bounding across the crisp dried leaves and amazingly soft grass as I took off into the unknown world ahead.

I only spared a glance behind me as I fled.

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Eyy and that's the first chapter done.

Who knew a cat's skull is strong enough to break through glass? Well they can't reallly but don't worry there's a reason Ari was able to ;)

Thank you for reading!

:D


	2. One way ticket to civilisation please

Eagles are known as majestic birds of prey. They're graceful bags of feathers that can fly at super speeds with giant killer talons. They're awesome right? So image Ari's surprise when one came out of no where to pluck her into the sky.

Squirming around the talons that gripped painfully at her sides (and totally not screaming the whole time) she wondered how far the ground was. Opening one eye Ari peaked downwards to check. The earth blurred at her feet as the fleeting sun highlighted the redwood forest below her in blooming hues of pink and orange. Wind whipped at her face as Ari tried in vain to catch her bearings, where was the ground? What was up? Was she bleeding?

Her breaths came in quick panicked gasps as she slashed at the over fed bird's stomach in a desperate attempt to relive her pained lungs.

With a wrenching squawk the eagle released Ari on impulse, probably from the pain who knows; before diving headfirst to try and catch her again. Wings half folded and tense, ready to snap out and stop their descend at any time.

At first Ari welcomed the blissful weightless sensation of falling, her mind going elsewhere as the wind whistled and cradled her small body. A sharp painful sting at her left side brought her back to the real world as her instincts naturally lead her body to flip over in mid air so that her paws was facing the ground.

Ari's limbs spread out as she fell at terminal velocity to increase the air resistance around her and slow down, but another screech from behind that sounded _way too close_ reminded her of her...friend.

Gritting her pin pricks she calls teeth Ari ignored her body's screams of protest as she heaved her sides and four limbs to curl up in mid air. As birds have hollow bones they're made for flight, but that does not mean they're made for falling.

Tensing her muscles Ari locked herself into a tight ball to make herself fall faster, receding the air resistance.

The rustling of feathers faded over the howling winds as the ground came closer and closer with each heartbeat. She felt a dash of smugness entice her. ' _Ha! Physics motherfucker! Suck it_.' Ari cheered inside her mind. Pain at her sides and lungs a constant reminder that _she's bleeding and will probably die before she really lived!_

At last second before she plunged to her ultimate demise the bird caught up in a fury of wings and talons. _Huh guess they really are made for falling_ Was Ari's soon-to-be last thoughts as the overgrown flying chicken relatched their _very_ sharp claws back into her, this time much tighter than before. Ari released a strained gasping sound at the impact.

With her small whimpers which was swallowed up by the wind, the eagle pulled up harshly right before hitting a tree, swerving to glide smoothly right over the giant forest, just nearly grazing the tree tops.

Panic and fear burst inside of her as she realised ' _this is the end'_ and how ' _fuck I never really did anything did I?!'_

The world around her blurred as she tasted faint metallic on her tongue. Ari's limbs too worn out from the earlier run to do much of anything as her vision spotted with blotches of black, the blood gushing in her ears over came any other sounds around her just as she heaved a last painful sigh. Giving into death and accepting her fate as future eagle poop.

And suddenly, she was falling again.

And not too suddenly, her body jerked to a stop as something rough and very smelly caught her scruff just before she hit the ' _very hard and painful'_ ground _._

Surprised since she could still think and _eww what's that smell_ Ari breaths a sigh of relief. She's not dead! Not domed forever to wonder the void! Opening both of her eyes to gaze lovingly at her saviour Ari froze as she came face to face with a giant white and green bug mask. She tried to jerk back as the thing, which she noticed, was apparently also human clocked their head sideways.

' _What the actual f-'_ taking a look around she noticed how they're still not on the forest floor. In fact they seamed to be way above the ground on top of a giant tree branch.

' _Greattttt_ '

The human made a "hmmmm" as they studied her ruffled nest of fur that used to be _soft god dammit_ whentheir attention was caught by another human; who seemingly appeared out of nowhere who made some kind of hand sign to them. Bug mask guy made a weird looking sign back with their free hand before reaching under their mask to whistle. High pitched and sharp. Ari winched at the load blaring sound, barely registering the flapping of wings as it came into earshot.

She grimaced as the same asshole eagle from before few in between the tall ass trees to rest on bug mask's armoured arm. The other guy with a red and white flat bird head looking mask made another hand sign, and with that the eagle poofed out of existence.

Ari's jaw dropped, her almost death experience and bleeding sides forgotten as the two guys performed literal _magic_ right in front of her.

' _What in the world is happening? Are they ninjas? Do they work for the snake man? The bird was a summon weren't they?'_ Ari panicked a little only to winch as the bug guy prodded her bleeding sides.

With a hiss she tried to scratch their mask as a warning, to which they dodged wayyyy too swiftly.

"Poor kitty's bleeding all over the place." They huffed, voice coming out surprisingly smooth and warm. How a voice can sound warm? Ari does not know, must be the adrenaline getting to her again but _whoa_ they sounded young, around ten years or so?

"Pfft you don't say, Gin did a number on to her. No surprise with those talons. Too bad it's not what we wanted." The flat faced bird man replied almost proudly, coming over from the other branch to also laugh at her misery. ' _Wait is that an owl mask?'_

"You don't get to brag about Gin my man, we're supposed to be looking for a scroll not cats!" Bug dude snapped, sitting crossed legged on the huge branch as they pulled out a scroll from their ass.

...okay so it wasn't _really_ from their ass but with all the magic disappearing bullshit who says it _doesn't_ come from their ass?

Aha gotcha there ninja freaks!

"Mantis you've got to relax mate, live a little! It's a training exercise." Owl face or what ever shrugged, edging closer to get a better look at the cat. Ari shot them the most unamused look a cat could manage. "I can't ' _live a little'_ " Mantis mocked as they pulled out some weird bottles and bandages from the scroll. _Ohhh that's that that's for!_ Ari thought.

"We're in the middle of a war! We can't afford to "live" Get out of here!" Mantis scoffed, sighing as they set Ari down gently onto their crossed legs, making sure that she was not lying on her injured side. Mantis started to dap small amounts of cotton that was soaked into clear liquid into Ari's wounds and it _stung!_ Ari could not help scrunching up her face and flinching every time he touched her cuts.

"Geez that's a bit dark my man, no need to chew off my head." Owl seamed to pout, Ari could not tell with the tacky mask oh man did he look dejected.

Mantis shook their head slightly as they finished doing whatever humans did and started to wrap the white cloth over Ari. They both stayed silent as Mantis finished the wrapping, tying the bandage with a little knot on the end.

Ari broke the silence with a small purr like meow, bopping her head against mantis's hands as a ' _thank you_ _even though you smell bad_. _Awesome work guys, now go home and take a bloody shower_ 'gesture, adding a meow at the end just for funzies. Mantis relaxed a bit as they chuckled softly, patting Ari a bit before standing back up.

"We should get going, we're probably the last ones now." Mantis suggested as they picked Ari up to leap down onto the forest floor. Owl followed with a snort. "Yea no thanks to you."

The rest of the trip was a blur. Ari had her eyes closed during the whole time, maybe a bit too trusting, maybe a bit too lazy, perhaps a bit of both?

By the time she opened her eyes again she heard more young humans a short distance away with a underlining scent of wood. Mantis reluctantly put Ari down gently, careful not to touch her injured side as they let her go.

"Bye kitty! The instructors will be waiting near the camp and they can't see me with you, you might be a spy!" Mantis whispered softly, stroking Ari once more along her back as they stepped away. The owl guy threw his arms over mantis's shoulder as they strutted forwards out of the bushes, leaving Ari alone once again.

 _''Well now what?'_ Ari's ears dropped a bit. They were the first friendly humans she's run into in a long time, but not wanting to risk their wrath Ari scurried the other way, taking a different route through the dappled forest. Her sides seamed to stop hurting half way through their trip with the two weirdos.

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A long while later Ari's paws started to hurt from all the walking! Sniffing around again like she's been doing for the past hour Ari was relived to smell more humans a little ways away. Sure they may not be friendly but maybe she can convince them to carry her? A cute little kitty cat is always welcome right? ' _Well unless they're allergic_...'

Stopping as some dirt tracks came into view Ari's ears perked in interest as she spotted a horse carriage a little bit down the road. Perfect! With a quick dash Ari ignored the pain in her side as she scrambled into the back of the carriage where they kept bags of fruit for some reason.

' _Silly weird humans'_ she thought as she nested down on top of a fallen cloth. ' _Someone's cloths perhaps? I'll keep it worm for them!'_ She thought giggly as she curled up on the soft fabric, getting comfortable.

Almost falling asleep Ari was awoken by the carriage suddenly moving, a small rumble vibrating the whole structure as the two horses outside pulled the sodden carriage over uneven grounds.

The faint chatter of humans and the rumblings of the wood lured Ari back into a blissful, much needed catnap.

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Whoooo finished. So with the eagle, the two newly graduated ninjas and their little practice mission as well as the carriage, Ari was finally able to travel far far away from Orochimaru's hideout! :D

No where to go but forwards my friends ;)


	3. Every village has it's secrets

"It's just a cat Kai, calm down." A mature feminine voice calmly soothed, a rustle of fabric hinted at their position a few meters away from Ari.

"But moooomm its cat! A cat mom! What if it bites me?" A childish voice whined dramatically not far off, a pitter patter of meek footsteps shifted the carriage a bit as who ever they were bounced on the spot.

Ari felt like whining herself, stubbornly keeping her eyes shut as she denied being awake.

"Honey stay still, I can't brush your hair if you keep squirming." The voice soothed again, patient but tired. Ari sighed through her nose and opened a eye to peak at who ever's creating the insufferable noise. Her vision shifted from the wooden floor of the carriage to flicker over a busy mother with a young boy sitting in her knees. A young boy who was busy staring at Ari.

A jolt of adrenaline bursted inside Ari as she bolted out from her small nest of cloths that _probably_ belonged to the mother.

Scraping her paws across the smooth texture of the carriage she leaped out the other end of the structure, narrowly dodging a few more humans that looked too busy carrying giant bags of fruit to pay her any mind.

Numbly skidding across the concrete floor Ari hid underneath a wooden stall. Her senses flooded by noisy chatter and the suffocating smell of many _many_ different kinds of food. ' _What the actual f-'_

Talking in a few gulps of air, holding each breath in for three heartbeats at a time Ari managed to calm down enough to look around. _'Okay okay breath. Little steps, little steps.'_

The area around her was filled with stalls, wooden, metal or otherwise. Looming buildings on each side lead her eyes over the busy street full of people shopping, talking, bargaining. ' _Where am I now?'_ She thought, slowly coming out from the stall she was hiding under.

"Oh it's a cat! Here kitty kitty kitty!" A high pitched voice squealed in joy as pudgy hands tried to make a grab at her.

Hissing in alarm Ari darted away swiftly, running back into the stall and further along the back into a narrow alleyway. Her heart pounded and head spun. ' _Holy smokes where the hell am I? A town, a village?'_ Ari thought rapidly. Good thing she was a cat or else she would have been questioned at the gates, and Ari _did not like questions_.

' _Okay okay, so I'm guessing a village from the sheer amount of people. Alright I can deal with this, I can do this.'_ Ari thought to herself as she started to climb the tall fence that blocked off the other side of the alley, her sharp claws helping her haul her weight up.

Using her tail for balance she jumped onto a windowsill, running along the rails so she could leap higher onto another, then another. Stopping only once she's reached the Orange tilled roofs of the building below. The bandages at her side restricted Ari's movements slightly.

 _'Okay I need a game plan, I can stay here or... move on? Wait no but I haven't been back in society for so long! Maybe I can stay for a bit..'_ she half heartedly started to walk along the rooftops, her golden eyes scanning the lively surroundings below as civilians went about their days.

A group of mothers chattered as their children ran around playing some sort of game. A stall owner making a _bit_ too much noise while trying to sell his fish, an elderly couple strolling along as they basked in the familiar surroundings.

Ari felt a pang of envy as she watched a child fall and proceed to burst into tears, only to get picked up and comforted by their mother as she rubbed their back soothingly. Her eyes flickered to another spot below as she witnessed a group of teenagers chatter loudly, seemingly lost in conversation as they finished their ice-creams.

In another spot a stall owner bargained with a middle aged man, making large and exaggerated hand gestured. Both had amused grins on their faces like they've been friends for years and years.

' _This is their home_ ' Ari thought longingly.

' _This could be your home too'_ a small voice whispered in her mind, she batted that thought away as quickly as it came. _'No, not yet'_ she replied back to nothingness. Eyes lingering on the street below for a second longer than necessary before looking away, up ahead.

The roof dipped to the other side where there was more and more streets, but looking ahead Ari could make out the faint glow of bright green leaves. ' _A tree! Perfect!_ ' The sleek jet black cat nimbly trotted across the roof tiles and across powerlines. Thanking the world for her long tail that helped her keep balance.

She leapt over the heads of people walking by, markets and stalls that continued for several streets before it spanned out into neighbourhoods and apartment buildings. Buildings all different sorts of colors with the occasional grove of trees.

Ari reached the tree and scurried down the trunk successfully to take a drink from a nearby stream. The shimmering flowing water illuminated by the sinking sun.

' _I wonder if this place has a forest? I mean I could just catch rats but who knows what viruses they carry...hmm a bird is safer. No eagles though, eagles are bloody evil.'_ Ari rambled in her head as she logically followed the stream, letting it lead her onwards as it expanded under a bridge.

The rhythmic splashes of flowing water against rock was disturbed by a door slamming shut after a series of yelling. Ari's fur instinctively stood on end as she snapped her head over to witness a small boy pick up what seams to be food of some sort from the ground. He brushed his fingers on it a couple of times to 'clean' it before taking a bitter bite.

Her eyes widened as confusion and empathy flashed in them. ' _Did they throw that at him?'_

Deciding to get a better look Ari padded away from the stream to edge forwards, her curious nature getting the best of her as she cautiously approached him. The boy had a worn looking white shirt on that had some stains, his blue shorts dirty and blotched with dirt and mud. _'I guess there is always two sides of a coin...'_ Arifrowned as she remembered her earlier impressions of this village.

Not wanting to startle the boy Ari meowed softly as she came closer, inclining her head a bit to look up at him from a meter away.

The boy's solum blue eyes snapped to her as spark of fear danced in them before going away, being replaced by a small shiver of interest. Ari sensed his deep sadness was still there, but it was dulled a bit by his curiosity. He crouched down to stare at her at a eye level, the food, which she identified as a slice of bread clutched in his small hands.

Normally cats consider it rude to stare, but since Ari had the mind of a human she read his actions as curiosity instead of a challenge. Stepping a bit closer she watched as the boy stretched out a hand to let her smell. Taking a sniff she grimaced as his scent was overthrown by the stench of mud and pine but she pressed her head to his hand anyways. Cat language for "yes you can pat"

The boy took the invitation, running his hand gently to pat her over her head and back. A soft rumble filled the air around them as she naturally started to purr. He scratched a spot under her chin which she _adored._

Ari took a glance at him to see a soft small smile adoring his face. The boy's bubbly emotions reflected in his eyes, making them brighten and spark with life. She could sense his mental state like most cats could. He seamed to be feeling better which made Ari lighten up a little.

Reaching back the boy took a piece of the bread slice and carefully handed it to her, afraid that his only companion would run away. Ari watched in astonishment as the boy shared what seamed to be their only food for the day with her, a cat. A fuzzy feeling danced in her chest as she pinned the boy with a awe struck look.

Even after what happened earlier he was still kind enough to share?

Taking the price of bread gently from his hands she chewed in quick bites, her mind whirling at this. Usually kids who are treated badly or neglected lash out at her, but this boy...Ari could sense an endless amount of kindness and compassion within him just from this gesture alone.

Making sure to purr extra loud she rubbed her side against his legs, making sure to avoid touching her injuries. The boy giggled at that, a delicate laughter only a child could have as her fur tickled him. The boy reached to pat her again but was stopped by a blaring voice that dripped with disgust and resentfulness.

"Naruto! Get inside. Now!" A elderly women snapped from the door that was slammed shut earlier.

The boy, apparently named after fish cakes flinched at the voice, his eyes snapping up to stare fearfully at the lady before coming back down to Ari's worried gold ones. He smiled softly as he waved at her, reluctantly walking over the the lady with his head bowed and shoulders hunched. The old lady scoffed at him and than took a glance at Ari before slamming the door shut once again.

Her yelling could faintly be heard from out here.

Ari hissed as she sensed Naruto's flares of fear and sadness spike up once again, so powerful that she could still sense them from outside the house. Her ears flattened to her head as she pulled her lips back in a snarl. ' _What the hell is going on? Who treats a child like that?_ ' She spat in her head.

Turning back she stalked back towards the stream, fully intended on going to the forest to burn off some steam. She'll be back, she's sure of it for her name wouldn't be spiteful lass Ari.

 _Ohhhh soon lady, just you wait._

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Tried, I sleep.


	4. Raining cats and dogs and Sasuke

A/N: If there is any mistakes please _do_ tell me!

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A few days later and after a lot of searching Ari finally ended up finding a suitable forest to sleep in. Only tonight was a bit...different.

 **§|Ari's POV|§**

The thing about having fur is that you basically have a huge wooly coat on for the rest of your life, no why to take it off unless you want to skin yourself. Keeping it nice and groomed is key if you want to stay nice and warm. It's useful most of the time.

Most of the time...

A small shiver shook my body as the howling of wind once again rattled my safe haven-which was a tree. A very small, skinny, leafless tree that shook like a maraca in this bullshit of a storm. My teeth clattered against each other just as the slippery branch I latched onto started to creek. I clung on harder. ' _Okay so in hind sight maybe this was not the best idea_...' I thought.

Another harsh gust of wind rocked the branch, a sharp whistle in my ears as my claws started to hurt from clinging this hard.

After another howl of the wind knocked the tree I decided that it was not worth it, at this point the ground would so _sooo_ much safer. With gritted teeth I could feel my claws slip from their holds on the branch, sending me plunging down below into the muddy ground. Which mind you, was thankfully soft from said mud.

An annoyed hiss naturally broke out of me as my pelt absorbed more of that soggy dirt, as if I wasn't drenched before.

Cracking above me instantly alerted me of the branch—which was practically hanging by a thread now. Risking a glance up I bolted to the other side of the tree just narrowly missing the dead fall as it impaled the ground, the branch's fall only sending more muddy water into the air and onto me. Flickering my eyes up I glared at the dam tree.

' _Gee thanks'_ I snarked inside my head.

With a sigh I turned around to seek better shelter, preferably one without so much...moist liquid earth.

Making it to the ends of the tree line my heart dropped as it rained much _much_ harder than before, suddenly pelting the ground with endless amounts of water. With a quick fluid movement I sprinted out from the safety of the tree lines, right out into the falling rain.

Surprisingly the harsh pitter patter of the rains didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. The feeling somehow very... _soft_ and _peaceful._ It was almost like time had slowed down, the droplets of cold drenching water a wonderful feeling on my already soaked pelt, washing the gunk and mud off me in a rhythmic pattern.

The air a crisp welcoming scent of plant pheromones and rain, even in the foggy setting a nearby street lamp shone brightly; engulfed in a halo of light and streaming water.

In this split second even in the cold, even with the pulsing blood surging in my ears, I felt at peace. An unusual feeling sweeping me up in a gentle, comforting embrace, almost like a mother's. The whispering air and rain around me almost seamed to _sing_ , luring me forwards, encouraging me to _trust_. Trust what? I have no clue, but at this moment I didn't have the heart to care. This feeling, it's like you're finally _home_ after a long time at war; unsettling and yet, familiar and _so darn happy_.

I sighed in rare bliss, not minding the rain as much anymore.

The moment was broken by the rapid splashing of footprints not far off, my beyond drenched cat ears quickly picking it up in a flicker of movement, sending droplets of water to fall. Reopening my eyes _wait when did I close them?_ I spotted a small figure that seamed to clutch into a bigger one, their heavy breathing creating little puffs of white with every exhale.

In an instant I snapped back into focus because ' _what on earth is going on? It's like 3 am who the hell runs in the rain at this time?'_ (That's not Might guy or Lee lol)

Since a cat's eyes are much better than a human's I was able to sport them from this distance. It looked like a panicking granny with a small child clutching their robes. The granny had some kind of plastic wrapped box in one hand while the other tugged the child forwards.

My eyes stayed trained on them as they steadily stumbled towards me, probably on their way somewhere. A dash of concern sparked in my chest as I noticed the granny's panicked and scared body language. ' _She's the adult here, it's not good for her to be scared in her own village'_ I thought.

 _'Maybe I should keep an eye on them...'_ my impulsive brain prompted, and who was I to ignore such a curiosity quenching suggestion?

And with that I started to trail them from behind once they passed me without noticing. My eyes flickering from the panicked granny to the terrified child clutching her hand. They were both soaked like me, although they seamed more muddy.

"Oba-san will we make it?" The child asked, their tone of voice small and frightened, although you could tell they tried to sound brave. _'Whooaa Okay that kid can NOT be older than six."_ Ithought as I heard him _._ The granny grasped the child's hand a bit harder in reassurance. "Of course sweetie just you wait, we'll see your father before you know it." They replied in a forced confident tone, their voice soft and sort of croaky.

Frankly I doubted that the granny knew where they were right now, the streets were deathly foggy from all the humidity and rain.

"Okay..." the child agreed, sounding a bit better now. They walked a bit faster to keep up with the granny, although said granny wasn't moving that fast either. I just followed on while keeping a small distance between us, glancing between the two every once in a while.

After turning a few more times and taking several detours around the maze like streets of the village, the granny finally sighed. Stopping. "I'm so sorry Sasuke-chan, looks like we're lost." She spoke, voice cast fallen and tense. The small child, Sasuke I presume, made a small sad noise as his shoulders dropped in disappointment. I could sense the granny's guilt and unease from here.

"But...Dad needs us. How else can he get the dinner mom made?" Sasuke asked, on the verge of tears from what I could tell. My heart sank as he started to sniffle.

" _No no no no don't cry_ "

"I know, I'm so sorry Sasuke, an old croak like me can't handle this weather." The granny dropped into a one legged kneel, setting aside the plastic wrapped box as she wiped the child's face with the sleeve of her kimono. " _Oh trust me lady you don't need to wipe tears away, not with this rain."_ I thought as I approached them from behind.

The light from a conveniently placed lamppost provided just enough light in this fog to illuminate Sasuke's snot covered face and the granny's own sad one.

A frown pulled at the edges of my mouth as Sasuke tried and failed to fight back tears. I could sense the bitter tang of the granny's guilt and shame rise up even more, and that's when I decided _hey enough is enough_ and meowed loudly. Capturing the two's attention in a heart beat. Sasuke's eyes squinted to see me clearer as I trotted closer to the two. The granny seamed wary of me.

Making eye contact with Sasuke I meowed once again, this time softer than before. The granny tensed up as I neared them. " _Hey old gal I'm not threat_ " I thought as I started purr, hopefully making the granny understand that " _OI I'm a harmless kitty cat!"_ It seamed to work as they relaxed a bit. "How odd, a street cat?" I heard her whisper underneath her breath.

Sasuke's eyes were pinned on me.

Coming even closer I sniffed at the plastic wrapped box, the very faint scent of cooked rice and chicken inside with various other vegetables. Nudging the plastic with my nose I caught the whiff of _something more,_ a slightly indescribable and sharp scent that belonged to humans. Every family had one distinct scent, and this spicy scent was theirs.

All of a sudden my senses bloomed with information, the same way a dog's would when tracking something because " _Hey cats can track too!"_

It was like a whole new world opened up to me, the same scent extremely strong on Sasuke and weaker on the granny; though it was still there.

Ignoring Sasuke's little shouts of "Hey that's for my dad!" I turned towards the street and sniffed the air carefully. The rain had calmed down into a light drizzle.

All sorts of scents seemingly whiled around me in a figurative dance as I tried to find a hint of the one I was looking for. The rain washed away most of it but I could still smell small trails everywhere. The trail where the granny and Sasuke came from, the trail of a mouse, the trail of some other humans. It was not long before I caught onto a familiar _sharp_ scent, a sharp scent that belonged to what ever family or clan Sasuke was from. With a exited lash of my tail and a loud meow I beckoned them forwards.

The two started confusingly at me, the granny lost in thought with their grey eyebrows pinched together while Sasuke stayed clueless. Understanding slowly lit up on Sasuke's face as he made a small "ooohhh" sound, bolting forwards to me. The granny's arm quickly shot out and caught him before he could move any further.

A bitter and salty tang of distrust oozed off the granny as they stared at me, unsure.

"Sasuke we should not follow random cats, they might be dangerous." She adopted a lecturing tone of voice. But Sasuke was too busy bouncing on the spot. "But what if it's a ninja cat my dad sent to get us?" He complained, glancing at me from the corner is his eye. I let a warm purr rumble in my chest as I padded forwards slowly, movement fluid and refined. I gave a chirpy meow as if agreeing with Sasuke, even though I had zero idea what he meant by a ninja cat.

"Ninja cats can speak, this one can't. Come on let's go home Sasuke, your father might be home by now." She urged again, tugging him towards her. Her sad dark eyes regarding me for a few more seconds before flickering to Sasuke's pleading ones.

"But what if! This cat can't be bad because dad's police men always makes sure we're safe. He told me himself!" Sasuke whined, pleading the granny with his eyes. The granny took one look and sighed, eyes closing as if composing herself before opening again. "Okay fine, but if it leads us nowhere we'll go home immediately alright? I'm already in enough trouble for agreeing to sneak you out." She spoke with worry in her tone before looking back at me.

' _Heyyy don't worry you'll be fine lady'_ I chirped inside my head, turning around following the scent trail I caught onto earlier.

I could hear a scrape of plastic, hinting that the granny picked the box up. The rustling of wet fabrics behind me told me that they were following. ' _Alright Ari, you can do this. Let's just help out this child and than find a not wet place to sleep'_ I encouraged myself.

Taking some twists and turns in the very confusing layout of the village I walked past shops and stores, all closed for the night. The scent trail got stronger and stronger the more I walked, a sharp tang at the back of my throat. I could feel my ears perking up on instinct every time Sasuke and the granny exchanged words, always hushed whispers—which was annoying mind you.

Another turn to the right lead us into a bigger street with a few much bigger buildings. A few of them had weird symbols on them while the big one in the middle was painted a unusual dark blue. Very different from all the other buildings around them.

A gasp and a sigh of relief coursed behind me sent a small bubbly feeling into the pit of my stomach. ' _Wow I actually did it_ ' I thought with satisfaction. Sasuke rushed past me in a squawk of limbs as he dashed straight to the dark blue building. The granny chuckled before following him in a much more composed way, which was classic walking.

"Thank you, cat." The granny smiled at me briefly as she walked past, clearly more concerned with the small child than me. The two made their way inside the building, light from inside glowing a nice welcoming yellow as they opened the double doors. I could not stop a small smile from forming as I sensed Sasuke's excited and happy emotions along with the Granny's calmer and more thankful ones.

 _'Huh, I did a good thing today..._ ' was all I thought as the rain eased up completely.

The air a peaceful cool breeze around me while I basked in the feeling of the granny's gratitude. Door shutting gently, taking away the warm yellow light but that was okay since it was not as dark anymore. The sky was already dusted a lighter blue than before, the sun just barely peaking over the horizons if I bothered to look.

 _'Wow, I really did something for once...'_

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The format for POV keeps changing whoops, It'll stay the way it is though from now on!

Thank you for reading! :D


	5. Ten thousand screaming kids

The following morning was chilling, a cool fog blanketed the village swooping it in a calming misty atmosphere. Konoha was busy bustling with life despite this, children screaming and running in the market made my ears fliker as they skidded passed my hiding spot. My eyes studied the area around with a careful gleam, the stall roof wasn't the best place per-say to sleep now that these pesky humans were awake.

A jolt went through the steel tiles as an odd human bumped his head into the stall roof before grasping his head in pain. I glared at him from my spot.

Yawning I gathered all my willpower just to stand up, stretching out my flexible long spine and humming with satisfaction as I heard it pop. Shaking my head I turn tailed and leapt upwards on a nearby windowsill, using the same method to cramper up the walls and onto the rooftops. A brief whisk of wind ruffled my fur an I closed my eyes in bliss, enjoying it.

'Yesss that's more like it' I thought, mood lifting.

Closing my eyes I sniffed around for any scents I could possibly recognise, anything that was food. I was too scared to try anything from the market place, who knew what in earth those humans would put inside theirs. I shivered thinking of chocolate and garlic–although tasty for humans I couldn't eat them. My stomach growled in protest but I hushed it. "Quiet stummy." I scolded.

I didn't understand the human's need for so many different words that only meant the same, why have tummy and stomach when you could have stummy?

The sound of flapping wings snapped me out of my thoughts, my eyes zeroing in on a fat looking pidgeon. A nice fat looking pidgen who I decided would look much better inside my belly.

'Say bye bye' I thought as I crept closer to it and leapt.

* * *

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So in hindsight it might have been a good idea to look before leaping at something that could fly. However good news! I found Naruto again.

Bad news.

I only found him because I completely missed the pigeon and only then remembered that one, I was on the bloody rooftops and two, pigeons could fly dammit.

Cue me flailing right into Naruto's face which sent us both harshly tumbulling backwards.

Landing roughly with a 'ooff' I heaved for breath as the wind was knocked out of me. Something heavier and much more deadly than falling off the roof practically flattened me into the cement. A very frightening and bloodthirsty Naruto.  
And that was the last anyone has ever heard of me as I took my last breath.

Just kidding! I wish.

"Youch! What?" Naruto rolled off, confused beyond belief on why pray and tell there's a ball of black in front of him. A fluffy ball of black that was currently glaring at him with metallic golden eyes.

"Ermmmm sorry kitty cat, I didn't mean to squish you!" He apologised quickly, flinching as if I was about to hit him. Me...a tiny cat...

I suddenly felt all the irritation of becoming a pancake leave me like water vapour as sympathy replaced it. No child should ever have to react like that. I instantly recognised the effects of emotional and mental abuse as Naruto's emotions turned sour.

Letting go of what happened (It was kind of my fault anyways) I walked up to him and nudged his hand with my head, taking the hint Naruto slowly patted my head–cautious. His small fingers raked through my medium length fur and he relaxed, calmer now. Good.

He took a better look at me, his blue eyes meeting my gold ones in deep thought before he suddenly jolted, making me instinctively flinch back. "It's you!" He exclaimed. "That day with the bread!" He smiled at the memory, reaching out and pulling me into his chest in a god awful hug–I let him.

Okay fine the hug wasn't awful but I'd never admit it.

He smiled happily to himself in glee, swishing me left and right as he squeezed me in his tiny arms before pulling away, holding me up in the air. The horror.

"You're coming with me to the Academy today." Naruto insisted, a determined gleam in his eyes. Without letting me decide the brat pulled me to his chest again and started walking off in another direction, west towards the heart of the village.

I contemplated making a break for it but was held back by Naruto's happy humming. The brat's mood has greatly lifted and he seemed quite content to be party'n it up with a kitty cat of all things. Why he wanted me to come I had no idea, but it wouldn't be that bad right? After all where there's children theres food.

What kind of academy would it be? I wondered.

...

It only took a little while for me to notice the _stares_. Eyes like piercing razor blades at the back of my neck.

Okay something was definitely weird about this village, the other normally friendly and easygoing civilians were sending glares our way, and not just any glares! They shot venomous looks right at us, not even bothering to be subtle. They were the looks you'd give your mother in law when she brought you to court for shitting in her mailbox. The terror!

Naruto pretended to not notice them but I could feel his bubbly mood slowly decline with each step, his hands shook as he tried to stay strong—for reasons unknown. The only thing genuine in the young boy's body language was that determined spark in his eyes. Taking pity on him I murred a soft meow of confort, purring gently to try and help him.

Naruto glanced down at me and smiled, hand moving to pat my head. "It's okay kitty, the academy is awesome! They're teaching me how to be a ninja. A ninja!" He repeated to make sure I heard it the first time. Y'know, just _in case_. "Iruka-sensei is nice to me and he'll be nice to you too!" He chirped loudly, a bit on the obnoxious side if you asked me. But his heart was pure and his temperament grand, like the glistening sea under the fragment rays of the sun.

...Hey I _can_ be poetic.

I inwardly sigh, great. My weakness, kids.

We arrived at a red boob shaped looking building. The structure really needed a new paint job, some patches missing—but from the few staggering trees and the blue bars of a playground peeking out from behind it; it looked good. Domestic even.

There were parents rushing about, mothers chattering in their usual gossip and awkwardly smiling fathers abandoned to the side as they desperately tried getting their wives attention. Maybe they couldn't hear them over the sounds of ten thousand screaming kids...maybe...

 _Probably_...

 _Heh good luck_ I wished them.

However the ruckus died down as soon as we neared it. I could feel Naruto's clutch on me tighten as he ducked his head down a bit, speed walking inside the boob building. I frowned at the action, what's going on? Orphans don't get scorned at as much as I know, and those looks sure weren't full of sympathy nor pity.

Assholes.

Naruto took some turns, and swerved to avoid other kids as he walked. I put my brain power into remembering the inner structure of this building.

We stopped at a large sliding door.

Taking in a few breaths Naruto gripped the handle and slid it open.

Inside was pure terror.

* * *

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"Sasuke-kun only likes girls with long hair!"

"What no I heard he likes girls with short hair!"

"No way you need ya brain checked dummy!"

"Oh god shut up!"

A girl suddenly gasped, eyes wide in horror at the audacity. "Y-you said a bad word! I'm telling Sensei!" She accused, eyes looking frighteningly at the person who uttered such foul language. A dog barked in the background for some reason.

"What no! Please please please I'll do anything!" Another girl spoke up, the scoundrel.

I hissed with annoyance, did they purposely make their voices pitchy? I pressed my ears down, curling more into myself as I sat in front of Naruto on the long desk. _Cats have sharp hearing but by the time I'm out of here my sensitive ears would've been dulled down to their level. Is there any way to tell them to shut up?_

If only I had learnt how to talk...

"Eh? What's a cat doing here?" A young lad said off to the side, the puppy next to him barked again, tail wagging mightily in excitement. Or maybe it just really needed to pee, I sure did.

Maybe if I peed on this desk the kids would stop talking.

 _Hmmmm_

* * *

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AN: Apologies for the really short chapter, I'll make the next one longer!


	6. In which everyone but Sasuke screams

Ah but alas I did not pee myself on the desk. I didn't even get to squat before the classroom door slid open, the chatter of ten thousand Bart's instantly dwindled down like a burnt out candle. An adult smoothly walked in, footsteps not making a sound as he strolled in front of the podium. His tan nose was decoded with a cool looking scar and his fawny hair looked as if he'd just... _um_ rolled around in bed. With a friend of course.

I instantly respected him from the way the class listened. _Damn, controlling a bunch of bedwetters is not easy_ I mused. The class was instantly silent, just what kind of teacher was this? I perked my soft ears, eager to know.

Just then the still atmosphere was shredded into ribbons as the class rioted once more.

"Sensei Sensei! Ino said a swear word!" The brown haired girl piped up, sticking her hand right into the air.

"No I didn't! Sensei you can't believe what Judy says!" The Ino Girl defenced fiercely, arms crossed as if she had just been wronged. "Right Sakura-chan?" She turned to a docile pink haired girl next to her, sending her friend a meaningful look.

"Y-yes Ino-Chan is r-right!" She replied meekly, soft voice barely heard over the screaming and chatter. She realised that her words were drowned out by the sounds of many and slumped back dejectedly. _Awww what a poor lass_ I thought.

"Sensei Sensei lookie here!" A kid broke into the conversation, holding up a crayon drawing of what looked to be a person holding a giant fork."do you like it Sensei? It's you holding a sword!" He exclaimed excitedly, bouncing on his tippy toes.

"Iruka-Sensei start the lesson already I'm borreeed." Another kid spoke up at the back. The dog barked because dog. He does that a lot.

 _Hmmmm maybe I should meow more._..

"Tisk" a very pineapple looking lad gritted his teeth in agreement, head resting on his hands. The kid with cute little symbols of his face next to him seemed to be conflicted. To eat or not to eat, that is the question.

The teacher looked a bit nervous now, hurriedly replying to one kid after another, failing to settle everyone down and start the lesson.

My senses were instantly overwhelmed again and all respect I had for Iruka-Sensei went down the drain alongside my hearing. _Goodbye hearing, I'll miss you!_ I sent it off with a sniff. Glancing back I was surprised at how silent Naruto seamed, I would have pegged him to be one of the loudest ones... _now that I think about it..._ I slowly edged away from him.

 _Better safe than sorry_

* * *

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Okay so Naruto did end up saying something, but whatever he said was drowned out by the sounds of the class. He tried speaking louder and then the kids around hom spoke louder in retaliation, everyone wanting to be heard. Thus it ended up in a shouting match only to be settled by the teacher.

Me? I hid under the desks the whole time because I can't talk.

Not _yet_ at least...

Right now Iruka has started the lesson, truthfully I wasn't paying any attention. It started off interesting with Chakra theory and then spiral down hill into the philosophy of using chakra wisely because shit can be blown up with it.

Meanwhile I entertained myself with the vibrations of the wooden desk as people moved about in the building. I had learnt long time ago that animal senses are so far heightened it's not even funny. I could sometimes see UV light as well, let along feel the vibrations of the earth through my paw pads. It was an interesting sensation, a deep hum at the back of my mind, familiar like a heartbeat and yet wild like the wind.

It had its perks.

Glancing up from my lazy position sprawled on the desk I could see Naruto slowly drift of to dream land. One cheek resting in his palm and one hand idly petting me as he tried to stay awake. Now I understood that Iruka was a new teacher (from the way he handled the kids earlier it didn't take a genius to tell) but that man was crazy if he was trying to teach philosophy to a bunch of hyperactive kids.

Speaking of Iruka, why was I allowed to stay in class? Why was the dog allowed to stay in class? I'm so surprised that the possibility of one of us dropping a stink bomb didn't scare him enough to throw us out. _Must be another ninja thing..._

Or maybe he's lazy and would rather deal with things later than sooner, which I could totally get behind.

A few kids giggled at the back of the classroom and I could faintly make out the Ino girl's voice. Iruka would sometimes sush them but they'd just start talking again in a few minutes, oh I pity him.

But let's get to the matter at hand, I could feel a great burning sensation on my flank. And unlike the first time it wasn't the burning sensation of talons, but rather a kid's piercing glare.

 _Don't they know to not stare at a cat? That's how you challenge them to fight...I'll plow your fields kid, trampe your crops and tear your curtains._

It was Sasuke, surprisingly as he spent the first ten minutes of class ignoring everyone and everything around him. His attitude was vastly different from the one yesterday, much more withdrawn and reserved. Strange kid.

Sat obediently on the connected desk things next to ours he stared at me, stared and stared some more. I wonder if he was still breathing at this point but no matter because I stared back.

 _Ha! See how you like it._

He didn't back down in the staring, eyes like the deep dark pools of a well. If you looked closely enough there was a small hint of curiosity and maybe even a frog, I wonder if he remembered me? Frankly I should have known that he went to this academy. He _did_ look around the same age as Naruto here.

I was very tempted to go up to him and ask about what happened after he went inside the building but alas I couldn't talk.

The staring continued for quite some time before Naruto's hand suddenly stopped. I looked up onto to see him staring at Sasuke too. Ha! It's two against one now Sasuke, you stand no chance I thought, turning back to the lad. But instead of the slightly indifferent stare from before this one was full of irritation and childish anger...? What?

I looked between Naruto and Sasuke, Naruto seemed to be glaring as well for some reason. Man what happened between these two brats to make them dislike each other already? It was like a week or so into the school year, I'd know from all the terrible back to school posters shop keepers hung up and forgot to take down.

I waved a paw in Naruto's face, no response. I looked back to Sasuke and tossed a rubber at him...it didn't even make it past my desk...

But still no response!

I huffed. Are they going to kiss or something? I was just about ready to fling myself at either Naruto or Sasuke but was unfortunately interrupted by a certain blond.

"BEE!" Ino suddenly shreaked at the back of the class, prompting any nearby student to start screaming bloody terror. My ears once again took a beating as more and more students scrambled to get away from the 'bee'.

Iruka blinked in surprise, quickly coming over to check on the 'bee'. The yellow thing flew around the classroom and darted up close from student to student, making kids scream and shriek as loud as they can whilst they fled for cover. I dodged under the desk at that and covered my ears as Iruka again struggled to calm everyone.

 _Damn human spawnlings_

Naruto shreaked too and ducked under with me while I could see a bit of black from over Naruto's shoulder, looks like Sasuke didn't care much for bees.

Sasuke was too cool for bees.

"Why on earth is a bee in the classroom?" I heard a lad mutter under their breath in irritation. I'm putting my money on the pineapple looking kid.

Loud thumping footsteps could be heard outside our classroom and a teacher bursted in with a loud _bang_. "What's going on?" They demanded, barely audible over the sounds of screaming, sirens and hellfire.

"BEE!" The class minus a select few screamed in unison.

And that's how first period went.

* * *

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You know, not being able to talk sure is inconvenient. I know my type of 'cat' can talk but damn is it hard. _Well I guess I'm technically not a cat per say..._

I tried, I really did.

I spent the rest of that day trying to say the word "Food" not only for the mental torture but I figured that the word would probably communicate better than my growling stomach. I could say "Fo" but had trouble pronouncing "oo" and "d" with my untrained vocal cords, surprisingly my voice was not as high as you'd expect it to be. A mix between high and low but it was much better than some of the human child's voices. With a sore throat and a determined heart (fueled by a growling stomach) I practiced, practiced and practiced.

The day went on and when I was not making weird faces trying to speak I was observing and people watching.

An interesting bunch they were.

I noticed that all the younger ones has some type of hero worship towards Sasuke while disband for Naruto–which was odd because who could resist literal sunshine? The social hierarchy was very apparent with these kids. All the ones who didn't care and were mature for their age was on top. Then came Ino and her group, then the rowdy sport boys, then the 'normal' kids—and last but not least it was Naruto. But this was true only in our class. There were some much older students who towered above even Sasuke in popularity, well not by much but they still did. The reason for that I didn't know.

I'll have to figure that out later. We _did_ have something interesting happen today though, at lunch break.

"Why do you have that cat?" A voice broke into me and Naruto's quiet daydreaming. There, sat under a nice shady tree we were snapped out of fantasyland by the sound of a monotone voice. A child's monotone voice to be precise.

Naruto took a second before responding, not yet registering who he was talking to. "Cat? He's my friend." He insisted, rubbing his eyes. They narrowing into a glare as his vision cleared up from being shut. "Sasuke?" He spoke up, surprised. "Why do you want to know?" He grumbled, jolting up to stand.

 _Wait what? He?_

"It's clearly a girl. She's not _your_ cat right?" Sasuke ignored Naruto's question, standing his ground as Naruto stood face to face with him; kind of tippy toeing to make himself seem taller.

Sasuke was totally tippy toeing too, the brat.

"No he's a boy and he's my friend." Naruto repeated, insistent. I suddenly felt that the conversation wasn't exactly about my ownership anymore. It was almost like watching a cockfight as the two physically challenged each other.

"Lookie lookie! Sasuke is talking to the dweeb!" Some kid whispered off in the background. Another gasped and joined in. "Sasuke is so brave!" They squealed, holding their cheeks.

 _Brave? For what?_ I wondered. There is too much I have missed out on in this village. Come on a girl needs some context!

Sasuke ignored them like a pro and grinned smugly. "You don't have friends, that means _she's_ a stray right?" he taunted Naruto...kind of?

I heard some "oooos" in the background and inwardly wanted to slap myself.

"Actually yes, I've been wondering but how did you get a cat?" Pineapple Kid who just happened to pass by and was totally not eavesdropping asked. The young lad with the cute cheek markings peaked over, semi interested

Do I get a say in this conversation? Dammit I really should've learnt how to talk.

Naruto was about to go outrage over Sasuke's comment before pausing. He looked around at the other kids, a bit lost on what to do. He had never had so many people willing to talk to him and now they were all coming to him! A small spark of joy ignited within him before they were dashed away by one cold thought.

He glared more at Sasuke.

No, they didn't want to talk to him. They probably just wanted stupid Sasuke to notice them.

"He's not my cat but he's my friend" Naruto huffed, puffing out his adorable cheeks, voice a bit downcast. I frowned at the change in mood and leapt up onto his shoulder, meowing a "Are you okay?"

Naruto's browns relaxed a bit before reaching up to pat me, I purred in response.

Some of the kids watching and not minding their own damn business made a small "awww" sound but not Sasuke.

Never Sasuke.

I pouted at him. _Dammit admire my cuteness, I'll make you say "aww" one say I swear._ I pledged inside my mind. No one could resist a cute itty bitty kitten. No one. Speaking of which the pineapple dude didn't either, the kid already walking off by now with his foodie friend. _Ohhhh I'll get you too just you wait._

My sharp eyes caught onto a slight twitch of Sasuke's fingers and I grinned happily, making my purring louder. _Muahaha he wants to pat too._

I expected Sasuke to leave just as the pineapple kid did but instead he took a step forwards, right in Naruto's face now. Naruto gulped, a bit on edge as he didn't know what his sworn enemy wanted, if it was a fight he'd gladly deliver!

"You, do you remember me?" Sasuke asked in a moonstone voice again. Which was a bit off throwing as his voice was still that of a six year old's.

 _Dude you're talking to a cat, I don't know what to tell you..._

Not knowing how to respond I just said "Toilet seat" out loud. Of course to the human ear all they heard was a "meoww." He could decipher it any way he wanted to.

"Ah, so you do remember me." He nodded to himself, satisfied. He was young and yet he acted so much older than he really was, did he have a strong role model he takes after or something? Maybe it was that grandma lady from the other day.

Naruto looked between us with a small frown. How did Sasuke of all people know his friend? He felt a bit more uncomfortable.

"Diarrhoea." I replied, settling onto Naruto's shoulder and giving him a lick on the cheek. I could literally sense his mood dampen and it stressed me.

"Ah I see." He replied as if I was telling him an interesting story.

In the distance the bell rung and commotion spread throughout the students, conflicted on staying and watching or being good and heading back to class.

The corner of Sasuke's lips twitched downwards and he took that as his que to leave. He nodded to me in farwell, throwing a quick "Thank you for yesterday" over his shoulder like a cool kid as he left. Fangirls instantly surrounded him, probing and asking questions. He froze up a bit and quickened his pace only to run into more.

I snickered inside my mind, way to act high and mighty. "Goats pee on themselves for mating!" I called out back to him. He'll probably interpret that as a goodbye but he'll never know the true meaning...hehehe.

Things gradually died down after that and classes continued 'normally' without all the staring and bees. I stayed under the desk at this point gargling and making odd sounds as quietly as I could. By the end I could finally say the word "FoOd" with a slight mishap, it was a good thing no one noticed.

Man was I exhausted...

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 **§|Quick Sasuke's POV|§**

I pushed the door, heart beat quickening it's pace as I stepped inside the well kept and clean smelling room. The curtains were drawn and inside was illuminated by nothing but natural light. Giving it a peaceful atmosphere. I could feel myself relax in the familiar and comforting environment.

"Oni-san I saw that cat again today."

He looked up from his ninja scroll, probably reading something with long complicated words that I couldn't understand.

"Ah." He spoke, pausing to mark his place with a paper bookmark. "Did you now? Could it speak?"

I shook my head but have a verbal answer anyways, voice warm with a doting tone. "No but she could understand me! And she had bright golden eyes!" I grinned freely.

Itachi "hmmed" in thought, eyes glancing over to the scroll in his hands as if trying to decide something. He always did that when going into deep thought, but I didn't mind. Oni-san was very busy nowadays and so I enjoyed every moment I had with him. He wasn't overbearing, loud or obnoxious. He didn't treat me like glass but he did not scorn me either. Around him I didn't have to be the perfect Uchiha, I could just be myself. Act my age.

Curiosity got the best of me and I leaned over to have a look at the scroll.

There in big red calligraphy characters I could barely make out the words "Bakeneko."

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Ahh Finished! Can anyone guess what I'm planning to do with Ari? :D

This chapter is unedited so far ;-;

But regardless, thanks for reading!


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